


Angel Amongst Demons

by Playingthevillain



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Dixon Brothers, Gen, Original Character(s), Siblings, Woodbury (Walking Dead), little sister - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 19:03:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7857421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Playingthevillain/pseuds/Playingthevillain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two Dixon brothers and their younger sister. Sure, they were made for this new world but they never knew they needed other people besides themselves. ***Rated M for language and upcoming violence***</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Show 'N Tails

"You gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me." Merle shouted as he slammed the door of his beat up truck. Daryl climbed out the passengers side and shook his head. "He said she's here."

"Fuck." Merle muttered, rubbing the top of his head furiously and started towards the run down building with the words 'Show 'N Tails' flashing in neon lights. Daryl followed close behind his brother.

Pushing through the door the Dixon brothers were hit with the smell of alcohol and tobacco. It was dark but the small spotlights that were on allowed them to see that the room was packed with men, all facing the stage that was fully lit up. The speakers  
were blasting out 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' and all the men's voices were mixing together into one loud roar.

"Merle! My man! Ain't seen you round here in a while!" A stout man walked towards the brothers, his arms outstretched and a smile on his face. Merle did not return the welcome, his face was set in a grimace and his fists were clenched by his side. Daryl  
stood behind him, his head bowed and chewing on his lip as he nervously watched his brother.

"Don't gimme that bull Joe!" Merle raised his voice to be heard over the pounding music. "How comes you never told me my sister worked here you son 'a bitch?!" As Merle took a threatening step forward Joe took one back, his expression changing instantly  
to confusion and fear. His welcoming gesture turned into one of surrender as he held his hands in front of him, palms facing towards Merle.

"I don't know what you're talking about man!" He pleaded. "I'mma kick yer ass so hard you'll have to clear yer throat to fart Joe. Our old man says our sisters been workin' here for months and ya didn't think to tell your old pal Merle?" His voice had  
dropped into a far more sinister tone as he continued to advance closer to the portly man. Joe tried to back up further but bumped into the counter of the bar behind him.

Joe was beginning to sweat. "I didn't even know you had a sister! Just...just...give me her name and we'll sort this out." He pleaded but all it did was rile Merle up further, grabbing the front of Joes shirt and pulling his face closer to his own. Daryl  
decided to break the tension and come between the two men. "Name's Angel." He shouted as the crowd of men let out a louder roar and started pounding on the tables.

What remaining color Joe had in his face drained away. "A...A...Angel? Fuck man I didn't know..." He trailed off and shakily pointed one of his stubby fingers at the stage. The Dixon brothers turned to look and could just see the back of the woman entertainers  
head, her light brown hair bobbing up and down. The rest of her was obscured by the sea of men.

Merle released the man, who quickly scuttled away from the two brothers. Daryl and Merle made their way to the side of the stage where there was less of a crowd. They could see more of the woman now but they still couldn't make out her face, her hair,  
a mass of light brown curls, was thrown over her facial features as she supported herself against a pole, pointing her ass towards the crowd of men and shaking it provocatively to the beat of the music.

She was wearing a black bra with pink trim, a tiny imitation of a school girl skirt with a black g-string on underneath. And the men were lapping it up, pounding on the tables, throwing money onto the stage, wolf whistling and shouting lewd comments at  
her.

The two brothers didn't need to see the dancers face to know it was their sister. Covering the majority of her back was the black tattooed details of a set of angel wings. "Fuck!" Merle shouted again, slamming his palm down on the stage infront of him.

The girl threw her head back, sending her mass of curls off of her face and cascading down her back. She sank down low against the pole and turned herself to face the customers. They began throwing more money at her as she got down on all fours and began  
crawling towards them. Just out of reach of the men she sat back on her knees and threw her head back, running her hands all over her body and making the men shout louder.

As Angel tilted her head to the right she felt her heart beat slow and a cold feeling come over her. Her eyes locked with two sets of pale blue orbs, identical to her own. "Shit." She had completely lost control of her body and was frozen like a deer  
in headlights, unsure of what to do.

"Angel Dixon you get down here now!" Merle shouted at her. Veins were visible on his temples as he tried to contain his anger. The crowd started to become rowdy with their lack of entertainment and a large bouncer, noticing who was causing the problem,  
came towards Merle. Before the bouncer could say anything Merle landed a punch under his chin and he fell to the floor.

It was like that one action caused a sea of chaos. The cluster of men started to shout, overturn tables, throw punches and climb onto the stage. Angel was still stuck in shock, now watching as everything erupted around her. A man wearing a suit had got  
himself on the stage and heading straight towards her. Before she could act she felt a muscular arm wind around her waist and lift her up off the floor and out of the mans reach. "Hold tight Ang." Daryls voice spoke into her ear and she felt herself  
relax slightly with the trust she felt for her brother. He scooped her legs up and carried her and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Merle, com'on man!" Daryl hollered over his shoulder as he kicked one of the men out of his way and jumped off the stage, ignoring the distraction around him and heading straight for the door. He kicked it open and headed out into the sunlight.

As Angels eyes adjusted to the natural day light and the thumping music was replaced by distant sounds of car alarm and voices, Daryl gently let her legs slide to the ground. He was about to head back into the club but Merle burst through the door.  
There was blood trickling down from a cut above his right eye and his lip looked swollen but he wore a smile of victory. That was, until his eyes flickered back to his sister. A seriousness came over Merle and he stomped towards her.

"Hell you playing at Ang?! Workin' in a dive where men play pocket pinball under the table while watchin' ya?!" Angel span around to meet her eldest brothers eyes. "Good enough for you to come to though, ain't it Merle?! The other girls tell me you've  
been comin' here for years and blowin' money on girls and booze!" "That ain't the same and you know it!" Merle replied.

While they argued Daryl unbuttoned the flannel shirt he was wearing, exposing a wife beater beneath. Once the shirt was undone he shook it off and gently placed it over his sisters shoulders, trying to cover her exposed skin as much as possible. Once  
again he was reminded of how small she was in comparison to him and Merle. Angel was born too early, the doctors said, that was why she had been so tiny as a baby. Even as she grew up she was always just that little bit smaller in height and weight  
than the other girls her age.

The shirt sat on her shoulders and almost came down to her knees. Still arguing, she thrust her arms through the sleeves of the flannel but didn't bother to button the front.

Merle took a breathe and bit back some of the anger that was inside himself "I thought you were still workin' in that pharmacy, tryin' ta make a career for yourself?"

"I worked there so I could get you ya fix of prescription pills whenever you wanted!" She pointed her index fingers into his chest. "Once ya left and I realized you weren't comin' back I had to chuck that job in. Neither one of you were livin' at home  
anymore, I needed more money to buy food, keep a roof over mine and Pops head and keep him off my back. This" she gestured at the neon lights of the strip club, "was the easiest way to make the kinda money we needed. Plus some extra put away so I  
could get my ass out of that hell hole, just like you did!" She finished and realized she was out of breathe, pent up rage and words she'd wanted to say for months finally coming out into the open.

Merle was taken back by the outburst. It was true, he hadn't been around in a long time. He always meant to but he'd always end up somewhere else; at a bar, a friends house doing drugs or stuck in the local jail.

"Com'on, we gotta go" Daryl interrupted, stepping between the two of them but keeping his eyes on his brother. "My stuffs in there." Angel muttered and started to make a move back towards the club. Merle stepped infront of her and blocked the way. "Oh  
no baby girl. Whatever's in there you can leave it. We'll head home, pack up ya things and head towards Atlanta."

Her head snapped up to look at her eldest brother, but before she could argue she thought she heard far off sounds of gun shots and peoples voices shouting. She realized that the chorus of car alarms still hadn't stopped.

"Worlds gone to shit Ang," Daryl took her arm in his hand and adjusted her so she was looking more at him. "People killing people, eatin' people. The streets are overrun. We gotta go and we gotta go now." He tugged at her sleeve one more time and budged  
her towards Merle's truck.

She looked up at Daryl. His face was soft but serious. "Them men came in sayin' the world was ending. They were throwing their money around like there really would be no tomorrow. You tellin' me all that shit on the news is real?" She asked, feeling so  
unsure of what to do in this moment. She noticed a woman over Daryls shoulder running through the parking lot. The woman's summer dress was ripped and splattered with blood from a large gash on her arm. The sound of glass breaking echoed in the distance.

Angel pulled the flannel shirt around herself. Merle placed his hand at the base of her spine and guided her towards the truck, Angels eyes never looking away from the distressed woman. Merle opened up the drivers side door and stepped aside so Angel  
could hop in. Daryl climbed in the other side, Angel wedged between her two brothers.

Merle started up the truck and weaved out of the parking space, pulling out onto the main road. On either side of the streets shop front windows had been smashed in, the store alarms were blaring. People were scrambling in and out carrying whatever they  
could get their hands on. As the three Dixons got closer to the outskirts of the city they saw less pillaging and more fighting. Some people throwing punches, some running away from others. So much blood...

"You good?" Daryl asked, grabbing the back of Angels neck and giving a gentle squeeze. She managed to draw her eyes away from a man bent over a woman's body and met Daryls concerned gaze. She mustered up a small smile to try and reassure her brother.

Now outside of town they drove down streets where the houses were more rundown. Merle looked over at his younger siblings. "We go in, collect ya stuff and leave." "What about Pops?" Angel asked. As much as she hated the old man for everything he had put  
them through she couldn't imagine all four of them going on a family trip together. "Fuck 'im. He ain't been there for us before why should we be there for him now?" Merle was quick to respond.

"He's still our dad. We can't just,MERLE LOOK OUT!" Angel had looked away form her brother to see a woman standing in the middle of the street. Her eldest brother responded to her shouts, snapping his eyes back on the road and slamming on the brakes.  
Both Daryl and Angel gripped the dashboard but the beat up trucks brakes didn't stop them in time. They hit the woman with a loud THUNK and she disappeared under the car.

They finally came to a halt and all three of them were frozen in place. Angel was still gripping the dashboard and just as she was about to speak a hand slammed down on the hood of the truck. A small squeak escaped the youngest Dixon as the woman they  
had just run down pulled herself back up. The accident didn't seem to have caused her any damage, the real damage was caused a while ago.

Her eyes were hollow, her jaw hanging at an odd angle. There was dried blood all over her clothing. The woman was now standing back up as if they truck had never hit her, and she limped her way over the the driver side window.

"Go,go,go,go,GO!" Angel repeated, with each word she gave a small slap on Merles arm. His eyes were still on the woman but he started up the car and floored the gas peddle. They lurched off and out of the woman's grasp.

The rest of the journey was in silence. Angel was still trying to process what had happened. The vehicle began to slow and Merle swung it around into driveway. Stopping the truck, Merle and Daryl climbed out. Angel was about to slide out as well when  
Merle slammed the door. "Ya stay here Ang'. We'll get ya stuff and be right back." Before she could protest Merle locked the trucks doors, leaving an angry Angel hammering on the window and spitting obscenities at him.

Her brothers disappeared inside and Angel sat back, slamming her feet on the dashboard in front of her, arms crossed over her chest. She could hear noises from the house but tried to ignore them. She leant her head back on the headrest and stared at the  
roof.

The voices began to get clearer. Angel drew her eyes back to the house and saw Daryl had her old backpack slung over one shoulder and his hunting crossbow over the other. Walking round the back, he threw both items in to the bed of the truck beside Merles  
motorbike and waited at the passenger side door. Merle and their dad were the ones raising their voices in the entrance of the house.

Will Dixon had a bottle of beer in one had a cigarette in the other. He was always arguing with his two sons, sometimes resulting in actual fights. For Angel he never just used words and fists. He was a twisted man and had made her life hell for the past  
25 years.

Angel could hear they were fighting about her. The argument ended when Merle knocked the beer bottle out of their dads hand and it smashed to the floor. Merle moved quickly towards his siblings and unlocked the doors, letting Daryl climb in beside her.

Merle hovered at the drivers side. "You deserve everything you get old man!" He shouted before sliding into the drivers seat and slamming the door. Will Dixon just stood in the doorway watching his three children reversing out the driveway. Angel gave  
a middle finger salute to him through the window just before Merle drove down the street and towards Atlanta.


	2. The Pack

Merle pulled from his shirt pocket a pack of smokes and offered them out to his two siblings, keeping his other hand on the steering wheel. Angel took out two crumpled cigarettes and offered one up to her other brother. Daryl in turn got out his lighter from his back pocket and lit his and Angels cigarettes.

"Did you pack any food?" She asked, realising she hadn't had anything to eat since before her shift at the strip club. Merle shook his head. "But don't you worry baby girl. Thought we'd make a stop somewhere and fill up." "What, you loaded now?" She asked, flicking the ash from he cigarette onto the floor of the truck.

Merle snorted and waved his free hand in front of her. "All we need is this." "Really? We're gonna go rob a place?" Angel asked indignantly. "You saw how it was Cub. Ain't no rules no more." Daryl chimed in.

This wouldn't be the first time the three of them had gone out stealing. When they were kids they always stuck together, one distracting the shop clerk while the other two filled their pockets. They'd loiter on the corner of streets and shout obscenities as people walked by, sometimes throwing things at passing cars. Their dad never cared enough to watch them, so they took care of each other. People in their neighbourhood knew the Dixon children. They used to say they were like a group of feral dogs roaming the streets. But they preferred to think of themselves as a pack of wolves, and with Angel being the youngest and the smallest she'd ended up being nicknamed 'Cub' by her brothers. Even after they had grown up and her brothers had moved away the nickname still stuck.

The truck swung in front a large convenience store. Slamming to a stop the three of them surveyed the debris of shattered glass and random items that had been forgotten about. They could make out the shapes and shadows of people inside. Daryl got out of the passenger side door and as Merle leant forward to climb out of his side Angel spotted a gun tucked in the waistband of his pants.

"I'm comin' in this time." She demanded, stopping her eldest brother from the slamming the car door by propping it open with her exposed leg. "You put your pants on and I'll think 'bout it." Merle chuckled. Daryl had already thought of this and had rummaged through the bag he had packed for Angel. He came round the front and handed her a pair of denim shorts, which she snatched from his hand and wiggled herself into.

"Ya happy now?" She asked the pair of them. She stood bare foot on the hot Tarmac of the parking lot. Her denim shorts barely covered her ass but it was better than the G-string she had been sporting. She still wore Daryls flannel shirt unbuttoned to reveal her black and pink bra. Both Daryl and Merle still looked her over disapprovingly, they felt real concern about how much skin she was showing considering they were about to enter a building they knew had strange people inside.

"Lemme get ya a top." Daryl said, but before he could go back to the van and look through her backpack Angel snapped at him. "I don't want a goddamn top I want food. Now!" She threw the end of her cigarette onto the floor and marched towards the convenience store, her two brothers following close behind her.

Angel stepped around the chunks of glass and stopped at the entrance of the store. The lights were broken and dangling from the ceiling. The cash register had been thrown to the floor and was now completely empty. Merle moved past her and walked further into the store, his eyes flickering between the remaining goods on the shelves and the few people that were in the shop. Daryl stayed behind his sister, checking to see if there were any people loitering around outside.

Merle let out a shrill whistle and knocked a tin of something onto the floor, causing the unsuspecting strangers to jump and spin to look at the company they had. "Well, well, looks like you fine people got some good pickin's. Why not share the wealth there?" The three people had their arms loaded with food. It looked like they were related, and they were huddling together in intimidation.

Angel stepped into the store, her arms crossed over her chest, completely ignoring her older brother taunting the terrified people. She grabbed the last remaining bottles of water and moved over to what was once an aisle of candy. Daryl was now next to his brother, keeping an eye on both of his siblings.

"Please, we're just trying to survive. This is the only food we have." One of the people spoke up. "Merle would ya stop interferin' with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none." Angel sighed. Her eldest brother just laughed. "Don't get yer knickers in a bunch there Ang'. These fine folks and I are just talking." She rolled her eyes and started stuffing candy bars into her shorts pockets.

Daryl walked around the cashiers counter and started raiding the cigarette cabinet. Merle approached the family with his arms raised and palms exposed, trying to give an impression that he was harmless, but his face was menacing. "Now, you drop some of them canned goods and be on your merry way and ol' Merle here will forget we even met. How's that sounds to ya?" He dropped one of his arms and pushed aside his shirt, giving the strangers a flash of the gun he was carrying.

The older man of the group slowly knelt down and placed all the food he had onto the ground. With his hands now free he raised them in surrender and stood back up. Merle nodded his head but he looked like he still wasn't finished with them.

"Ya best get to gettin' then." Daryl hollered from the other side of the shop. He knew how hot headed his brother was and he really didn't want any trouble breaking out. He was offering this family a quick escape and they scuttled away from Merle and out the store. Angel gave a small chuckle as she watched them scurry away.

"Never did know how to have a good time, did ya baby brother?" Merle asked, shooting daggers at Daryl for breaking up his fun. "Come get these would ya?" Merle pointed down at the cans and while Daryl came and collected them, Merle moved to the far back of the store where there was a small pharmacy. There used to be a shutter here to keep people from getting into the pharmacy out of hours but it was torn down.

Daryl walked past his sister with his arms laden with food and she placed the bottles of water on top. He exited the store and dumped everything in the truck. Angel had opened up a candy bar and was busy snacking on it, still perusing the remaining food items.

"Ang', come here a sec." Merle shouted from the back. When she noticed that her brother was leaning against the counter of the pharmacy she sighed and padded over to him. "Mind getting yer brother some of those good drugs ya used to nab for me. The ones that make ya feel like yer floatin' on a sea of fat ladies titties." He chuckled to himself, making a lewd gesture with his hands. Angel rolled her eyes, the candy bar hanging out of her mouth while she surveyed the shelves of medication. She stopped a little way into the dispensary, reached up into the shelf, grabbed a blue box of Tramadol and tossed it over to Merle.

She removed the chocolate bar from her mouth and walked back into the shop. Merle followed behind throwing the box up and down. "Now how 'bout gettin' something useful?" She asked him, grabbing another chocolate bar.

"Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker." Merle joked and made his way to an aisle with bottles of alcohol.

Daryl was back in the entrance of the store "Man you almost done?! We're losin' light!" Angel went over to him and Daryl draped his arm over her shoulder. He looked down at her, her head only coming up to his shoulder. He gave her a quick smile and then rested his chin against the top of her head.

Merle had his hands and arms full with cans of beer. "I'm happier than a pig in shit right now." Merle laughed. Angel gave him half a grin."Stop." She said and the three of them headed back to the truck, Daryl still had his arm over her shoulders and he pulled her into his side and gave her a squeeze.


	3. Atlanta Falls

The three Dixons were now part of a sea of vehicles in standstill traffic trying to enter Atlanta. Merle had given up beating on the horn but others around them still hadn't realized it was pointless. Some people were pacing up and down the rows of cars, fights were breaking out, some people were crumpled and crying on the floor.

A few cars over a group had formed around an old RV. They didn't look like a group of people you would see hanging around together normally. Merle was distracted by two blonde women that were talking amongst themselves, Angel kept looking over at a muscular man with a square jaw and a shotgun he had leaning against a police car. Daryl was busy chewing on his thumb, staring blankly out the window.

Angel looked out the front of the window. She kicked her bare feet up onto the dashboard and wriggled down in her seat. She folded her arms across her chest and hugged her slender frame, pulling Daryl's shirt around her she dipped her chin down toward her chest and felt comforted by the familiar smell of her brother "Wake me up when we start movin' will ya?" Her voice was muffled.

"I'm gonna hit the bushes." Merle mumbled. "You comin'?" He asked Daryl over their sleepy sisters head. He shook his head. "Nah I'll stay here. Keep an eye on Ang." Angel snorted. "Where were ya when I needed you back home?" A rough hand cupped her chin and lifted her head up until her eyes met with Daryls. He looked deep into her face and she knew he was angry with himself. "I couldn't be there all the time Cub. And I'm sorry 'bout that. I was an asshole for leaving ya with him, I came back whenever I could." He tried to explain. She couldn't be mad at him. She knew if Daryl had continued living at home he would have ended up killing their old man. And she didn't want another brother rotting away in jail.

"I know Dar'. I know." Angel smiled up at him and basked in the uncomplicated pure love and faith she had for her brother. Moments like these were few and far between for the siblings. They'd had it drummed into them from a young age that emotions were a weakness, and you certainly never cried. Merle couldn't take the emotional moment anymore. "Grow some balls the pair o' ya." He muttered, though deep down he didn't mean it. He loved and cared for his brother and sister more than anyone else in the world. He would do anything for them and, though he would never admit it, he was consumed with the regret he felt for leaving both his siblings with their father. He always meant to get money and get them out of there, but something always got in his way.

Merle climbed out the truck and headed towards the woods at the side of the road. He needed to clear his head of the bad memories of his father.

Angel snuggled back down in her spot to try and get some sleep. Daryl rested his arm across the back of the seat and gently pushed her brown head towards him so she was resting against his shoulder. He took comfort in feeling her beside him and knowing she was safe.

***

Will Dixon hated her the moment she was born. It was supposed to be a happy time for the family, welcoming a girl to the family. But as the baby arrived, their mother departed. Merle and Daryl had sat in the waiting room while their father paced the hospital hallway. For months before this moment, mom and dad had explained how big brothers have to take special care of sisters. They couldn't punch and pinch her like they did with each other. They needed to be gentle, look out for her. And the biggest responsibility of a big brother was to protect her, no matter what.

The doctors had taken their dad to one side, out of ear shot of his sons. They explained the complications and expressed their condolences for the loss of his wife. Will didn't even ask about his daughter. He turned from the doctor and his children, and left the hospital. The boys were taken to a quiet room where a nurse with a pleasant, sympathetic face told them about their mom going to heaven. But she had left them their baby sister in her place.

They were taken to a room full of other new born babies. Their sister was the smallest one there. When they boys were older and could understand more they found out that due to their mothers smoking habits and poor health issues, Angel had been born premature.

From the moment they met her, Merle and Daryl practically raised her. They gave her the name Angel "'Cos momma went to heaven but left us this Angel." The young Merle had explained to one of the nurses. They bathed her, fed her, and did all they could while their old man turned to finding comfort in the bottle. Daryl was going into this whole situation blind, but thankfully Merle had had some experience when he would watch their mother dealing with Daryl as a baby. Once Daryl had the hang of it he took more responsibility for caring for her, while Merle would try and scrounge some money from somewhere, or just go out and steal baby formula and diapers.

As she grew older she became more and more interesting to Will Dixon. He would get her to cook him meals, with no guidance as to how to cook, and make her clean the house. While her brothers were out learning to hunt she was learning how to make meals for her family. Sometimes, when their dad had passed out in his room, she would watch a cooking channel just to get some guidance. She didn't want to do it. She wanted to be out with her brothers, enjoying the fresh air and learning everything they knew.

All three Dixon children shared a room. They had two mattresses squeezed together. Going to bed was Angels favorite part of the day. She felt safe in the room with her brothers. Even when her sleep would be broken when their old man came home from a bar late at night, Merle was always the one to get up to take care of him. He had no idea both his siblings were awake and could hear them fighting downstairs. Daryl would often throw his arm over her, not just to make her feel safe but so he could feel that she was still there. Once the fighting had subsided Merle would usually crawl back to bed, a brand new cut or mark on him.

At school she was usually too tired to focus on her classes, and often she would just skip it altogether. She had nothing in common with the other girls in school, she tended to enjoy the company of her older brothers friends.

As all three of them grew older the fights at home got worse. Almost every night Merle and their dad would throw punches. It became too much for their eldest brother, who broke the news to his siblings that he had to get out.

With Merle gone, Daryl took more of the beatings. But Daryl was never as strong as Merle was, which meant their father had enough energy to serve a beating to Angel as well. Daryl would try so hard to protect her, shoving her in the bathroom and getting her to lock the door, or making her run out to the field until the noises stopped.

What Angel never told either of her brothers was that, with Merle gone and Daryl at school or working at a part time job their father knew he could do whatever he wanted to her. She almost expected him to beat her whenever he got the chance. But what he did was worse, much worse.

She was just a teenager the first time it happened and had no idea what he was doing. He slammed her against the kitchen wall, taking her completely by surprise and winding her. Just when she thought she'd feel a flurry of fists she felt his hands all over her and her clothes were ripped away. He would rape her almost every time the brothers weren't around. She learnt quickly that she was too tiny to defend herself and crying just made him angrier. She learnt to suffer through it in silence until he was done. Afterwards Will Dixon would threaten that if she told either of her brothers about this he would not hesitate to kill them. So she kept quiet, to protect her brothers but also because she was ashamed.

When Daryl moved out as well, Angel didn't know how she would get through everyday. Sometimes she considered running away, sometimes she thought about a bottle of pills. But Daryl visited more regularly than Merle ever did or could. She held on to those moments. For her eighteenth birthday Merle and Daryl had taken her to a tattoo parlor and she had spent four hours in the chair getting her wings. Her brothers also got tattoos, much smaller ones than her own, Daryl went for an angel and demon on his back, while Merle got their mothers name on the top of his arm.

She had a succession of jobs to try and bring some money into the household to cover the food and bills. It was also a relief to not be under the same roof as her dad for a while. Merle had found her a job at a local pharmacy and she made some extra money through stealing prescribed medication so Merle could sell it on, though eventually she was stealing it more for his own recreational use. At the pharmacy she had a chance of a career, she studied hard and passed exams to become a fully trained dispenser. Her brothers had been so proud of her, the first Dixon to be heading into a proper career.

It all changed when Merle went to jail for armed robbery. No longer getting the extra money from selling drugs, Angel knew she couldn't support their house, her fathers drinking habit and herself. She'd ditched the pharmacy and walked straight into a job at the strip club. The money she made each day was better than any career path she could have chosen. She had regulars who would drop a fortune on her. It wasn't the life she had wanted, but it was the best a Dixon could do.

Though neither one of the brothers ever spoke about it, from the moment Angel was born they both swore to do right by their little sister, no matter what. They would always regret that she had had to shoulder some of the beatings from their father, but she never let them know what else he had been capable of. To the two men they felt they had taken care of her, the best they could.

***

Angel stirred from her slumber when she felt Daryl move underneath her. "Merle would ya leave it alone?!" He shouted over his sisters head and out the open drivers side window. Angel abruptly sat up, now completely awake. She rubbed her face and let her eyes adjust to the darkness. From her left she could hear her eldest brothers voice mixed in with some others. Turning to get a better look, Angel could see what Daryl had been yelling about.

Merle was in amongst the group they had been observing earlier. One of the blonde women seemed to be getting some grief from a couple of men that hadn't been there before. Merle was standing inbetween the blonde and the men, keeping them separated. Angel couldn't make out what was exactly being said but she could tell her brother was gunning for a fight.

One of the men took a threatening step forward and in an instant Merle threw his head forward, connecting with the mans foreheads, and knocking him to the ground. The other man was immediately on Merle, landing a punch. The car door creaked open and Angel looked to her right to see Daryl making a speedy exit. He slammed the door behind him and ran over to help his brother, grabbing the shirt of the man who was hitting Merle, and throwing him back against a car, giving him a punch to the gut.

Angel couldn't help but roll her eyes and let out a little sigh as she watched her brothers once again embroiled in a fight. Further back from the scene the group were still standing outside of the RV. Some looked at her brothers in disgust, some in admiration. There were a few children, some of them wanting to watch the fight, but their mothers ushered them away to a different car and out of sight.

The man she had been watching earlier reached into the cop car and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. He started stalking towards the brawling men.

"Fucks sake." She grumbled to herself in annoyance. Scooting over into the drivers seat, Angel knelt up and stuck the top half of her body out of the open window. "Pair of you get your lily white redneck asses back here now!" She hollered at them. That certainly got the attention of the officer and some of the people by the RV, even Daryl looked over but Merle just kept on.

She was just about to get out of the truck when the sound of helicopters echoed above them. They were headed straight into Atlanta, and everyone, including Merle, watched in shock and horror as the whole of the city lit up on fire. The whole road became of frenzy of movement. People running into their cars, some just running off into the woods. Cars were backed up and turned around.

Angels mouth hung open, completely frozen hanging out of the window. Daryl appeared infront of her, taking her chin in his hand and directing her eyes to him. "You good?" He was out of breathe and had a small cut on his cheekbone. She nodded and Daryl released her chin and ran around to the passenger side of the car, climbing in.

Merle reappeared after a while. He indicated for Angel to move back into the car, and she she ducked in and sat back between her two brothers. Merle had a few more cuts than Daryl but he didn't seem phased by the altercation he had been involved in. He started the truck up and began to turn it around.

"Them people," he indicated with a thumb towards the reversing RV, "talking bout headin' up to the quarry and settin' up camp." "And you think we'll be welcome?" Angel asked. "We saved that pretty blonde girl from them thugs. Think they owe us a favor." Chuckled Merle.

They were now part of a convoy, the RV leading the way up a dirt path that wound into the hills.

"I wish the pair of ya would stop gettin' involved in other peoples fights." Angel mumbled, trying to conceal the depth of concern she had for her brothers. Daryl, as always, noticed and rubbed his thumb on the back of her head as way of reassurance that they were alright.

Merle scoffed and patted her bare knee with his right hand. "Spit in one hand and wish in the other, see which fills up quicker."


	4. Thrown Together

The camp they had set up at the quarry was spacious and had a perfect vantage point to overlook the dirt track that led up to it. They had parked their cars and vans along the edge to prevent anyone stumbling too close to the steep drop of the cliff they were located on.

Most of the people were in shock and had come together outside the RV, finding comfort in being around other survivors.

The Dixon's had parked up a little further away from the rest of the group and Daryl was currently assembling the camping tent that Merle always kept in his truck along with other pieces of equipment for camping. Angel took stock of what they had accumulated. In the bed of the truck was Merles motorbike and rolling around the floor were cans of beer and tins of food. Shoved in the corner was her backpack, some sleeping bags, Daryl's hunting crossbow and several cartons of cigarettes.

"Get yerself covered up girl. I don't like the way that cop's staring at ya." Merle whispered to Angel as he came up behind her. She glanced over to the Winnebago to see the cop with the shotgun slung over his shoulder looking at her. She grinned and he immediately averted his eyes back to a brown haired woman standing next to him.

"Let him be." She laughed, leaning into the bed of the truck and grabbing a couple cans of beer, exposing more of her ass as her shorts rode up. Merle clocked what she was doing and turned to look back at the group, several more of the men checking her over.

Angel was smiling, knowing that she was embarrassing her big brother. Her smile faded when she felt a rough hand take her by the arm and yanked her back down to the ground. Daryl looked into her blue eyes, releasing his hold on her arm by giving her a shove backwards. She swatted his arm away but he placed his hand on her shoulder and gripped her tighter.

"Put yer damn clothes on Cub." He instructed her through gritted teeth. She studied his eyes and knew not to push Daryl when he got this angry. Shaking off his grip, she spat on the ground in front of him and reached back into the truck for her backpack. Slinging it over her shoulder she made her way over to their tent, making sure to give Daryl a thump with her shoulder as she pushed past him.

The two brothers gave each other a small nod.

Daryl collected his crossbow and the sleeping bags and headed back to the tent, Merle went in the direction of the people.

The blonde woman who Merle had 'saved' earlier eyed him as he entered the circle. "Are we really that hard done by that we have to live with certain types of people?" She asked in disgust as Merle sidled up bedside her. "My thoughts exactly blondie." Merle gave back in reply, fixing his steely blue eyes on a large black man.

"Hey, we won't be havin' any of that in this camp." The officer spoke up, taking a step into the center of the circle to try and stop the black man from taking action against the redneck. Merle held his hands up in mock surrender but kept a smirk on his face.

"Anyone know how to make a fire." The woman with long brown hair asked, rubbing her sons arms, indicating that they were getting cold. Merle dipped into a mock bow. "Well now, yer in luck. Ol' Merle here is yer man for the job."

As Merle set about the task of making a fire, Angel reappeared from the tent. She was still wearing her denim shorts but had changed into a black figure hugging t-shirt that once had a band logo on the front but was faded beyond recognition. Her feet were no longer bare, she now wore her old black military style boots that came midway up her calf. Peeking over the top of the boots were the tops of her chunky knit socks. Scrunched up in her hands was Daryl's flannel shirt.

Daryl had been waiting outside the tent, making sure no one came sniffing around his sister. He was sat on a old tree stump, fiddling with one of the bolts for his crossbow when she exited the tent. He looked her over and nodded up at her. "That'll have to do." He teased. Angel snorted and threw his balled up shirt in her brothers face. "Stop." She said, trying to make it sound like she was still annoyed with him.

She hooked her thumbs in the belt hoops of her shorts and looked around the camp. "Is Merle playin' happy family's now?" Angel asked. Daryl looked over in the direction of their brother. He was hovering over a stack of stones that he had arranged into a circle and was now showing a young boy and two other children how to make and start a camp fire. "He's tryin'." Daryl defended.

Angel was about to make her way over to her eldest brother when Daryl stood up. "Take this." He turned his back to the rest of the group to conceal the hunting knife he was passing to her. She opened her palms and let him place it in her hands. She looked at him quizzically. "We never taught ya how to use a gun. This is just incase one of those things, or," he turned to look at some of the camp members, "whatever might attack ya." Daryl looked back at her, chewing on his lip.

She nodded, understanding her brothers concern. She knelt down and slid the knife between her sock and boot. Standing back up she smiled at her brother in thanks. Daryl squeezed her shoulder and leant in, placing a quick kiss on her temple before moving back to the tent.

The camp fire was now lit, and just like moths everyone began to gather around it. Her eldest brother had lit a cigarette off of the flames and was now lounging back on the ground. Moving next to him, Angel gave him a nudge with her foot and he scooted over. He held out the lit cigarette and she took it off of him.

Soon Daryl joined them, no space next to his siblings but happy to sit behind his sister. She leant back into him and relaxed into his chest. Angel held up the rest of the cigarette for him and Daryl finished it off before flicking it back into the fire.

Conversation around the camp fire was stilted and morose. Everyone still trying to understand what this epidemic was. Some people shared stories of their experiences with these 'biters', others relayed things they had seen on the news. The Dixon clan remained quiet through the whole exchange.

An awkward silence gradually fell over everyone. Maybe it was because they were surrounded with strangers, maybe it was because they were thinking of people they had lost.

A young Asian man broke the silence. "Why don't we go round in a circle and introduce ourselves?" He suggested.

Angel snorted "We'll be singin' fuckin' kumbaya next." She muttered under her breath, just loud enough for her brothers to share a chuckle.

***

Everyone had politely introduced themselves, giving a name, where they were from and a little information about themselves. The last ones to partake in the group activity were the Dixon siblings and a family consisting of a large father, short haired mother and their shy daughter.

Merle cleared his throat. "I'll go then shall I? Names Merle Dixon. This here," he gave his brothers shoulder a slap, "is my baby brother Daryl, and this," he gave the brown haired girl a nudge, "is our lil' sister Angel. We were born and raised not far from here. I'm ex-military, and both me and my brother are seasoned hunters. Angel here was trainin' to be a pharmacist." She noted how he managed to leave out her job at Show 'n Tails.

"You know how to hunt?" The gray haired man named Dale asked. "Yes sir. Thinkin' tomorrow me and Daryl'll go out and find us all a deer or summit for dinner." The group perked up, their opinions changing to how useful the Dixon men could be in their camp.

"And someone with medical training? That's brilliant news." Lori added, thinking about the future health of her son or any of the children in the group.

"Don't get too excited. I ain't no doctor. I know what drugs do, how they interact with each other, when and how you should take 'em. I can't do surgery or nothin'." Angel felt she should add. She didn't need these people coming to her with serious medical conditions and expecting her to cure them.

One person couldn't take their eyes off of Angel, and at the mention of her training to be a pharmacist, Shane had looked perplexed. He didn't say anything though, just kept his thoughts to himself.

The mother with the short hair finally spoke up and introduced herself, her husband Ed and their daughter Sophia. But no more information was given.

"Well, looks like we'll be having a long day tomorrow. Probably best we all get some shut eye. Dale? Glenn? A word?" Shane asked, standing up and dusting off the dirt from his pants. The three men walked over to the RV, and the rest of the camp began to disperse.

Merle stood up and offered Angel his hand. She took it, and was pulled up and out of the comfortable embrace of Daryl. Merle slung his arm over Angels shoulder and steered her towards their tent. Daryl stretched, got up and followed behind his family.

At the entrance to the tent Angel untied her boots and climbed in. She took a spot right in the middle and laid down, putting her hands behind her head for support. Eventually Daryl laid to her left and Merle to her right. It was a tight squeeze in the two man tent but they'd all slept in far worse conditions before.

"Did ya enjoy that group therapy session?" Angel finally asked, taking a dig at how polite Merle had acted.

The oldest sibling chuckled. "Just givin' 'em a good impression. They already think we're scum on their boots." Merle tried to explain. "Besides, while everyone was partaking in that circle jerk, your ol' brother here was taking stock of all their worldly goods. I say in a couple days, while they're all sleepin' we rob 'em of everything they've got and make our own camp somewhere else."


	5. Separating

"I'm sick 'nd tired of waking up with yer knee in my back!" Angel huffed, throwing back her sleeping bag and giving her eldest brother a shove. Merle snorted in his sleep and rolled over. She knew he wouldn't wake up for a while, the past few nights he'd taken some of the tablets she'd swiped from the pharmacy and chased them with a couple cans of beer.

The group had been together for just over a month now and everyone had fallen into a routine. Shane had taken up position as leader and had delegated tasks to everyone else. Dale watched over the camp during the day from the top of his RV. Glenn would make quick runs into Atlanta to grab supplies, such as food and camping equipment that some members had not packed in their haste.

T-Dog, Morales and Shane took it in turns to do late night watches. Merle and Daryl were the designated hunters of the group. With Angels lack of hunting skills she had fallen into the group of women who took up the tasks of cleaning and mending clothes, cooking food and teaching the children.

Angel hated the fact that she was separated from her brothers, sometimes for days at a time while they were out tracking. She was no good with children and didn't know how to sew so she was stuck on cooking duty. She wasn't the only one that hated the way the tasks had been divided by gender. Andrea often made it known that she felt some of the women in the group were perfectly capable of taking over the task of watching over the camp during the day. Angel and Andrea very rarely saw eye to eye, but in this instance they both agreed.

The only person that didn't contribute anything to the camp was Ed. Angel knew men like him. Hell, she grew up with a man like him. Often she would see a bruise or a scrape on Carol and Sophia. Her brothers had noticed it too, and had promised to keep a watchful eye over Ed, but without seeing him physically causing any harm to his family the brothers felt they couldn't intervene.

Looking to her left, Angel noticed that Daryl wasn't by her side. While Merle continued to snore, she climbed out of the tent and stretched her cramped muscles.

The group were already awake and actively going about their tasks. Angel sat down on the tree stump outside their tent and pulled on her military boots. A large hand ruffled her hair and she grinned knowing it was her brother. She looked up to see Daryl already dressed with his crossbow slung over his shoulder.

"Mornin' Cub." He smiled, but Angel could instantly tell from his voice that he was holding something back. Her expression slowly faded into sadness and she turned back to lacing up her boots. "When are ya going?" She asked.

Daryl squatted down beside her. "In a bit. Saw some deer tracks headin' into the woods." "You takin' Merle?" She enquired.

"Nah. His head ain't been in the right place for a while. He's been takin' stuff, and I don't just mean the pills you got him." Angel looked up into Daryl's face and reflected back the concern they both had for their older brother. His behaviour had become erratic recently and neither one of them could gauge what he would do next.

Standing up, she nodded in understanding and looked away from her brother and over to the women and children huddled around the camp fire, cooking up breakfast. "Ya best get to gettin' then." Angel muttered, biting back her sadness and hoping she sounded uninterested . Looking straight ahead she started to walk towards the group but was abruptly spun around and engulfed in her brothers arms.

Daryl planted a kiss on top of her head and then rested his chin in the same spot. She wanted to push him away and get some distance between them because the more time she spent with him, the more she wanted him to stay. Gradually she let herself give in to her emotions, relaxing into his chest and wrapping her arms around him. Her nose was filled with his scent; musky and woody and completely comforting.

"I love ya Cub." He whispered above her ear, giving her one last squeeze before releasing her. Angel wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hold onto some of his warmth. She smiled and nodded at her brother. Daryl chewed his lip, hooked his thumb through the strap of his crossbow, and gave a nod back at her before turning on his heels and heading into the forest.

"Come back to me Daryl Dixon." She shouted after him, the same exact words she had said to him when he moved out of their family home. Daryl stopped and looked over his shoulder at his baby sister, the ghost of a knowing smile on his face. "We're a pack. I'll always come back to ya."

She watched her brothers retreating figure disappear into the woods. Not knowing what else to do, she made her way over to the camp and sat on the ground around the fire.

Carol was keeping a watchful eye over a couple of cans she had warming over the flames. In between her and Lori were Carl, Sophia and the Morales children. All of the children were huddled over one text book while Lori tried to explain one of the math problems.

Away from the camp fire, Shane and Glenn were deep in conversation. As usual Dale was standing on top of the RV, his binoculars hanging around his neck.

"Sleep well?" Jacqui asked Angel. She asked her the same thing every morning, and Angel was getting sick and tired of the monotony of how everyday played out the same. Hoping she didn't look as irritated as she felt, she nodded to Jacqui.

"Breakfast's ready." Carol announced, and portioned out the food, passing it around the circle. Angel looked into the bowl of warm beans and felt her stomach roll in disgust. She couldn't contain her annoyance anymore. "Don't we have anythin' other than this shit?"

A swift smack to the back of her head made her drop her bowl to the ground. "Ya watch yer mouth sunshade ." Merle growled from behind her. "Them kids can hear ya." He sat himself down beside his sister and leant into the fire, lighting the cigarette that was hanging from his lips.

Angel rubbed her head with one hand and scooped up her bowl of food with the other. "Ya managed to crawl out o' yer hole then?" She spat at her brother. He just chuckled in response.

While everyone ate, Shane and Glenn entered the circle. The officer squatted down next to Lori and addressed the group. "We're running short on supplies. Glenn and I were just talking, and the amount we need is too much for one man to get. Does anyone here wanna go on a run with him into the city?"

T-Dog, Jacqui and Morales volunteered themselves. Andrea also put herself forward, practically demanding no over look how useful she could prove to be. Just as it seemed settled Merle piped up.

"If any of ya'll came face to face with one of them nasties would ya even know how to protect yerselves?" He enquired. Everyone seemed unsure of what to say. Glenn simply showed Merle the machete he carried on him when he went on runs. Merle let out a snort. "That wouldn't even cut butter. I got experience with guns and combat, I'll come with ya and protect yer asses."

"If Merle's going you can count me out." T-Dog exclaimed. The other volunteers all sided with him. Surprisingly, Shane disagreed with them. "Much as I hate to admit it, Merle has a point. He could be vital to this run." It was settled, Glenn, Merle, Andrea T-Dog, Jacqui and Morales would meet back outside the RV in an hour.

Everyone split up. Lori was now teaching the children under the shade of a tree, Carol and Amy had gone down to the quarries pond to wash dishes. Shane and Glenn were going over a list of items that the group needed.

After a while Angel got up and made her way back to the tent. Kneeling outside of it, her brother was rummaging through his bag. She hung back a bit and observed as he erratically searched for something, found it and eventually deeply inhaled.

"You've got to be shittin' me Merle! Ya tell them people yer gonna protect them out there, and now you're doin' blow?!" She kept her voice low but made sure her brother could hear her anger. "Don't be gettin' yer panties in a bunch, it's just a lil' somethin' to help me get through the day." Merle wiped his nose with the back of his hand and stood up. "'Sides I figure Daryl will tag along and have my back."

"He ain't here Merle. He went off huntin' without ya." Angel explained,crossing her arms over her chest. Merle shrugged and pushed past his sister to collect some of his stuff for the trip. "His loss."

Knowing that this conversation was over Angel decided to head over to Glenn and the sheriff. She interrupted their conversation. "I'm comin' with ya on the run." She proclaimed. Shane scoffed at her demand, placing his hands on his hips. "I don't think that's such a good idea." He told her.

"Whats not a good idea is my brother going along while he's as high as a kite. I get why ya want him there but he ain't stable right now. I'm comin' to make sure he don't do nothin' stupid."

Before Shane could protest again, Glenn interjected. "Angel coming along isn't such a bad idea. Not just to keep and eye on Merle. Some of the others have medicines on this list and I wouldn't know where to start. I was with a group before you guys. One of them had a family who owned a shop with a pharmacy in it. It's right next to the department store we're heading for."

"That's settled then." The brunette finished. She turned and made her way back to the tent. Merle was no where to be seen. Angel grabbed her backpack and emptied everything out onto the sleeping bags. Leaving her bag open she went to the bed of her brothers truck and grabbed a couple of bottles of water and a few candy bars. She threw those items into the bottom of her bag and zipped it up. Lastly, she checked that she had Daryls hunting knife in her boot. Happy that she had everything, Angel shouldered the backpack and was about to make her way over to the RV when she noticed a shadow standing behind her.

"You wanna tell me what this bullshit is about you being some kind of doctor now?" A deep accented voice asked her.

Angel turned to look at the muscular man. His hands were on his hips and he was looking at her with sheer distaste. "You shooting the shit and getting everyone to believe you know medicines is one thing when lives aren't at stake. But I will not have you putting those people in danger by coming back here with a load of drugs that you don't even know what they do." He fumed.

A small smile broke out across the woman's face and she crossed her arms over her chest, knowing she was going to get great pleasure out of this.

"What makes you so sure I'm lyin'?" She asked. Shane's expression dropped slightly and he took a menacing step closer to her. In a lowered voice he continued. "You tell them people what you really are, or I will."

She guessed Shane wasn't used to people standing up to him when he was like this, because as Angel leant in closer to his face he seemed confused. "You'd really let slip to Lori or the others that ya used to come visit me at the strip club once a week. How you'd drop yer months wages tryin' to get me to give ya some extras." She laughed into his face and looked him up and down. "You ain't got the balls, pig."

She took great delight in seeing the officer struck speechless for once. She brushed past him to leave, but turned once more to add, "Just because I'm white trash don't mean I'm lyin' 'bout an education. I did train to be a pharmacist before I worked in the club. So just because you've had yer face between my legs don't mean ya know shit 'bout me."

Everyone was assembled at the Winnebago and were carrying all manner of bags and weapons. Angel entered the group in time to hear Merle passing racial slurs with T, and she could tell T-Dog had already had his fill of Merle Dixon. She gave her brother a hard thump in the chest, stopping him mid-sentance. "Would ya shut yer trap and get in the van? We're tradin' daylight for dark."

"Com'on my lil' wolf cub, me and Mr. T-Bone Steak were just chewing the fat." Merle joked. His laugh stuck in his throat when he noticed his sister throwing her bag into the back of the van that would be taking them into Atlanta.

"Fuck ya think yer doing?!" He demanded, grabbing her upper arm and holding her in front of him. The others started getting into the van. "I'm going along to babysit yer sorry ass." She shook off his grip and took a step back. "Plus, people here need medicines." She made sure to add so she didn't annoy her brother further

She walked round to the back of the van. Angel noticed that the conversation stopped as she climbed in. She took a seat next to T-Dog, feeling his wary gaze "You gonna be giving me grief about the color of my skin too?"

Angel leant back in her seat, feeling very small under everyones watchful eyes. "Don't judge folks by their relatives."


	6. The Run

Andrea swerved around abandoned vehicles, heading straight into the city. The rest of the group sat in a nervous silence, all apart from Merle who didn't seem to know how to keep quiet when he was strung out. He was bobbling his knee up and down at a furious rate while going into details of his time in the marines.

Angel could tell that Merle's action was putting the others on edge. She dug her elbow into his side and shot him a look, which managed to silence him briefly.

Glenn took advantage of the quiet and turned around from his spot in the passengers seat to address everyone in the back. "Ok, here's the plan. We're going to park at the back of the department store, there's an alleyway down the side. We get down there, clear it of any geeks. You guys," he indicated to everyone apart from Angel, "go in the side door, it's probably locked so someone will need to jimmy it open while the rest of you cover their backs. Once you're in gather any clothes, cooking supplies, anything that could be useful. Merle, you need to get to the roof. From up there you'll have a good vantage point over the streets. Across the alleyway is the store me and Angel will break into. I'll get her in there and then I'm heading a few stores over to a camping shop, see if I can pick anything up there. Merle if you see either of us heading back to you guys we need you to take out any geeks. Do not shoot until then. They're drawn to sound. Are we all clear?" He asked, looking from face to face. Most people nodded, Angel chewed on her thumb in worry.

Everybody was deep in thought, running over the plan in their heads. Some fiddled with their weapons to keep their minds preoccupied. Glenn reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a scrunched up piece of paper. He leant back and handed Angel the list of medicines people had requested. Merle started back up with his nonsensical chatter, but she tuned him out.

The list had been written in a rush and was barely legible but she could just about make out the brand names of the medicines. Without realising it she started thinking of them by their drug names, an old habit she had when she had worked in the pharmacy.

Cholecalciferol, chlorphenamine, mepyramine maleate cream, lansoprazole...the list went on and on. She hoped that with her knowledge of drugs she would be able to find everything that was needed. If the pharmacy had already been raided, Angel hoped that in their panic people would have grabbed the commonly known branded products and left the majority of the generic drugs untouched.

Her brothers yapping and inability to keep still was setting T-Dog on edge. His jaw was tense and his hands were clenched in to tight fists. "Would ya quit squirming. Yer giving me motion sickness." Angel growled at him. Looking into his eyes she could tell from his pupils that he was still high, but there was something else. Concern? It wouldn't be for himself, Merle had faced worse predicaments than this. For her?

Once inside the city Andrea slowed the van down, avoiding bodies and debris on the ground. Glenn directed her towards the department store and once inside the parking lot, Andrea pulled the vehicle to a stop right by the alleyway. Everyone climbed out the van, making sure to be as quiet as possible. Glenn popped the trunk and pulled out two crowbars and a backpack which he shrugged on. T-Dog took one of the crowbars from him and Glenn kept hold of the other.

"We all know what we're doing? I'll look down the alley now, see if there's any geeks. Once I give the signal you all follow me to the door. T will open it, rest of you keep watch. Angel and I will break off and get into the other store." Before any acknowledgment Glenn ran to the corner of the department store and peered round. Satisfied, he waved his hand to the others who followed behind him.

Half way down the alleyway was the side door Glenn had mentioned. T-Dog got himself in position and jammed the crowbar in the crack of the door, giving it a few tugs. Everyone else had their weapons drawn and were keeping watch of their immediate surroundings. As Angel was just about to break away from everyone to follow Glenn, Merle caught her arm. They exchanged a brief nod before he let her go, not watching anything else except his sister, until she disappeared inside the pharmacy door Glenn had managed to prize open.

The inside of the pharmacy smelt stale and once Angels eyes has adjusted to the darkness she noticed that the shelves which would have lined the aisles, had been knocked over, and all manner of liquids were congealing on the floor. Looking around it seemed that most of the store had been thoroughly raided, the counters and shelves were practically bare. Straight across from her she saw the dispensary with its shutters pulled down and still appeared very much in tact.

"You got the keys for them?" She asked Glenn, nodding in the direction of the pharmacy. "You won't need them. The door on the right there leads to an office. Inside there is another door that connects into the pharmacy, it's been unlocked. Doesn't look like anyone's been here since I last came. Hopefully that means you'll find everything you need." He gave her an optimistic smile, and for the first time that day she felt comforted. She may not have spent much time talking to the other members of the group, she tended to stick to the familiarity of her brothers, but she had always found the Asian man to be caring and genuine.

Glenn laid the crowbar on the top of the counter and threw the backpack next to it. He then set about collecting the remaining useful items that were discarded on the floor.

Noticing some boxes of paracetamol and ibuprofen behind the counter, Angel scooped them up and placed them into Glenn's bag. She then made her way over to the office door. I hope Merle isn't causing too much trouble, she thought.

She must have said it out loud because Glenn spoke over to her. "How is it that you two are related? You're, like, complete opposites." She turned to look at him, he'd given up collecting batteries and protein bars to talk to her. It was a strange feeling, having someone take an interest and want to hear her speak.

"We ain't that different. I can be hot headed and say stupid shit like Merle, 'cept Merle doesn't know when to quit. And I can be quiet and less brash, like Daryl. I'm a mix of the two." She smiled, just thinking about Daryl. "We were all brought up together, saw the same shit together. The only thing different is they always did the fightin', I did the thinkin'."

Glenn had such a warm and understanding look on his face. He was seeing her, Angel, and not part of the Dixon pack. It was strange, but for the first time in a long time it made her feel like she was an independent person. He wasn't seeing her as a scrounging child, or a sexual object, or even a redneck piece of trash. He was just seeing her.

"And the racial taunts and the drug taking, are you..." "No." She answered before he could even finish. "That's all Merle. Daryl and I, we ain't like that. We saw our old man doin' that kinda stuff. It's like we went the opposite way. But Merle...I donno...it's like he needed that as an escape."

Glenn nodded realising Angel wasn't prepared to say anymore on the matter, and a silence fell between them. "Well." He said, turning back to the counter and collecting his backpack, "I'm going to the other store. Depending on how much trouble there is out there I hopefully won't be too long. Once you've got everything just wait for me here, I'll come back for you and we'll go over to the others together."

Angel nodded in understanding, and waited until he was out of the building before heading into the office.

Scanning the small room she saw an old mattress on the floor, part of a ripped photograph lay on top. In one corner was a unit with a television sat on top, and a desk had been moved into the middle of the room. The thing she couldn't help noticing was the dried blood all over the floor.

She tried to step around the pools of blood and made her way into the dispensary. The worry in her heart was alleviated when she saw that hardly anything back here had been taken. The people who had owned this pharmacy had kept it well stocked and had practically everything on her list. She set about the task of gathering the medicines that were needed.

As she moved around the shelves and draws of drugs she noted the metal safe that was tucked under one of the counters. The controlled drugs cabinet, she thought, and bent down in front of it. She gave the handle a hard tug but as she had predicted it was still locked. No one had asked for anything that would be inside of the safe but Angel had once again been thinking of drugs for her brother. Old habits die hard I guess.

After storing all the boxes and bottles of medicines she needed into her bag, she decided to gather items that she thought might be useful. Bandages, tape, antiseptic creams. All in all she had put together a large first aid kit.

With one last look around the pharmacy she was satisfied she had got everything useful. She closed the door behind her, dodged the blood in the office again, and was back in the main shop. Angel did a quick lap of the store, collecting a couple of flash lights, batteries and band aids. She ended up back at the spot by the cashier counter.

She didn't have any way of knowing what time it was or how much longer Glenn would be, so she hopped up onto the counter right beside the crowbar Glenn had left behind. Using her backpack as a pillow, she laid down and covered her eyes with her arm. All she could do now was wait.


End file.
